Thursday, April 18, 2013

A year ago, when I heard about the opportunity to work in Africa, I had to look up Zambia on a map. Hopefully your geography skills are better than mine, but if not, here are some things to know about my home for the next month and a half...

Zambia is a land locked country in southern Africa bordered byDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, & Angola. It is the size of Texas with a total of 14 million people.

Zambia is 7 hours ahead of Nashville so I'll basically be living in the future.

The seasons are opposite of the U.S. because Zambia is south of the Equator so I'll be there in the middle of winter with expected highs of 80 degrees.

English is the official language though most of the locals only speak Chitonga, which unfortunately was not a foreign language choice in high school.

Average life expectancy in Zambia is 40 years. 14% of adults are HIV positive.

In Zambia, there is 1 doctor for 20,000 people. Compare to the U.S., which has 1 doctor for 400 people.

I will definitely stay busy with that many patients to see.

60% of Zambians live on less than $1 per day. Can you imagine?

Zambia is home to Victoria Falls, 1 of 7 natural wonders of the world

(2 times higher than Niagara Falls and 3 times wider).

Nshima, the staple food, is prepared from mealie-meal, which is ground corn kernels.

I am powerless but I rest in truth.Psalm 18I love you, Lord, my strength.The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.So let the battles come. We'll meet them with a song.Our God will go before us. We will overcome.
I'm about $800 short of my fundraising goal so if you have an extra $10 or so lying around and want to help out, click here. I am so grateful for the support!